Within the mists of Avalon
by Legionnaire24601
Summary: When the anguished cries of horrified mothers, mingled with an even stronger wave of blighted energy swept over the back channels of her domain, the Lady of the Lake knew she had made a terrible mistake. The children of Cornwall were missing. The country was screaming. Barbara is the Lady of the Lake au


_The Change had first occurred at Cornwall. The faint, acidic taste of tainted magic had nearly gagged her when it rippled across the swelling waters of the Tamar. At the time Nimue had considered sending her Sprites south to investigate the source of corruption. She'd discarded the thought as quickly as it came. Choosing, against her better judgement, to wait and see if the incident was a singular event. When the anguished cries of horrified mothers, mingled with an even stronger wave of blighted energy swept over the back channels of her domain, the Lady of the Lake knew she had made a terrible mistake. The children of Cornwall were missing. The country was screaming._

It was confirming reports from her Sprite Jym, that convinced Nimue to call on her fellow eternals. The Sprite whispered the report along the foggy mists that draped along the open waters.

_My Lady,_

_On the east bank of Cornwall everything is activity, labor is honored, the people of the villages are content. Pass to the west bank and the scene changes so suddenly that one would think themselves in an entirely different world. There is a stillness in the midst of which the settlement of Cargreen lies. With her ruins and her unchanging spires rests beneath a ghastly fitful glare that feels distinctly like Le Fay… The humans here wander beneath the shadow of ruined dreams. The spirit, the life of the people is gone. As taken from them as quickly as their children_. _I fear the darkness will spread soon. _

The Lady of the Lake eased passed the long cool black waters of Loch Leven. The wind flecking her face with blown spray, Nimue turned her face towards the heavy wind, enjoying the sensation and let loose a pleased sighed at the glittered the reflection of the moonlight across the water beneath a cloudless sky. The location was her idea, far from the thick, heavy cloud that dappled Cornwall and threatened to spread. The Scottish isle remained neutral for beings like them.

Nimue took the island whole in her gaze. Humanity had yet to make a mark on this island. For now it remained with and for them, the eternals. Here in this unnamed land, unseen by mortal eyes. _But for how long? _She wondered. If she tried, she could see flashes of the island in its future. To do so would tire her. Their powers are stripped to their base parts here in this place between worlds. _All for the better, _Nimue thought watching Morgana stride in from a cold portentous shadow. The leaves of the trees shifted in the opposite direction of the hard wind as if making an attempt to get away from the new presence. She winced at the air of dark magic that entered with Le Fay. It followed the Eldritch Queen like a sable cloud in the sky before a thunderstorm. _I no longer trust them._

Time means nothing to beings such as them. They are eternal. But now having heard Merlin and Morgana fight and snark and insult each other without reprieve, Nimue was starting to feel the hours tick by as if she were as human her physical form was currently as, and began to regret calling the meeting between the three. There was a time when the three of them had been inseparable. They had come of age in this world together. Looking at them now, Nimue mused it was hard to picture it. Where they anywhere else they would have come to blows by now.

"What have you been doing?" Merlin snarled.

"You'll have to be more specific than that"

"Where are the children?"

"Here and there, there and here." She smiled, "They are as they were and are as they were not."

"Circumlocution will be of no use to you here unless you intend to stay for long." Nimue interrupted the stare down that was going on between the feuding beings, hoping that her voice did not betray her growing frustration. The Queen blinked at her and cocked her head slowly to the side, the gold of her helm glinting pale in the moonlight. She smiled but there was no visible emotion behind her green eyes.

"Your magical signature has been growing darker and more powerful." Nimue continued.

Morgana leaned back. "Kind of you to notice, Thank you."

"There are reports of Troll whelps also going missing ...in conjunction with the human infants the only conclusion here is that you are creating…" Merlin said, pacing.

"...Changelings." Nimue finished for him.

Le Fey tilted her head defiantly and gave no answer. Nimue smoothed out the sleeves of her dress. Suddenly feeling very cold, a strange new sensation for her, Nimue focused on the ground in front of her. "I see."

"Abominations." Merlin breathed.

"You're one to talk half-breed."

He flinched, glared at her sharply, inhaled and opened his mouth in clear intent to spout more hate.

"Enough." Nimue said bluntly, cutting him off, "We are above petty insults."

"Is that all you have to say?!"

"Calm yourself, Merlin. What's done is done."

"It is as it should be, you know this, Nimue." Morgana said quietly adjusting her cloak about her shoulders.

"What I know is that the both of you have always put too much faith in your precognition." Nimue licked her lips, "You're not infallible."

Le Fay leaned close. "Neither are you." She hissed.

"You will stop. Now." Merlin growled.

"You forget yourself, I am not subservient to either of you and I will continue as I please."

"Careful, I've set in motion the events that will lead to your defeat witch." Merlin lurched angrily to his feet.

"Ah yes," Morgana flashed a wide smile, "Uther and that king's wife, I heard of that debacle. Your soon to be new favorite. The young Pendragon will not be in this world for long."

"A threat?"

"A promise."

"It's war then,"Merlin growled.

Morgana smiled, "as you wish."

Merlin cursed at her but she ignored him and turned to Nimue.

"As for you," Le Fay jabbed a finger in her direction, "Continue in your natural state of waterlogging and stay out of my way or the consequences will be severe."

Nimue held her green gaze calmly and said nothing. At this, Morgana grinned and stood, giving her a mocking bow, "My Lady."

Turning towards Merlin, Le Fay eyed him with thinly veiled disgust. A look he mirrored back instantly. Dark shadows wove themselves from the trees and swirled themselves around the Queen's feet. In a puff of pitch black smoke Morgana Le Fay disappeared.

For a moment the island remained silent. The strange oppressive air of Le Fay's dark magic slowly dissipated. Nimue sighed in relief as the last black tendrils of the spellcaster disappeared and started back towards the islands banks. Frustration and worry from the last few hours finally wormed its way into her chest and she moved swiftly towards the Loch hoping for some comfort in the waters cold embrace. The heavy footfalls of Merlin's boots told her he was following her.

"Lady Lake." Merlin started.

"You seek to threaten me as well?" She sighed

"The opposite, I seek an alliance My Lady," Merlin finally catching up and following her long the islands shoreline.

"I have a plan, a way to combat Morgana's new … creatures. A champion if you will."

"A champion?"

"Yes," Merlin continued, "I'm currently working on the design of an amulet."

_Yes just forget about the children missing, I have a piece of metal to create. _Nimue tried to keep her temper from flaring. Anger rising hot throughout her body. The emotion drifted Strong, fast, _Human, _Her brain supplied helpfully. The longer on this physical plane the easier it was to tap into the human experience. Nimue wanted nothing more than to jump back into the Loch and swim away. Instead she chose, to stop and lean against the trunk of a nearby tree. Her left palm slowly tracing the bark of a low hanging branch. She eyed Merlin thoughtfully.

"An amulet…" She repeated focusing on the sensation of coarse wood on her current form.

"If I'm correct it's power will be greater than my own and Morgana's combined."

"If you'd be willing to contribute some of your own power…" He trailed off, his blue eyes drifting toward her hand still tracing the branch.

She stopped moving and glared.

"Is that what you want? And here I had hoped that preventing her kidnappings from continuing would be the priority."

His eyes flashed to hers.

"It is."

"Just not yours."

"Not. at. The. moment." Merlin at least had the decency to blush. The human gesture did nothing to ease her ire. _I wonder if I can entrap him within this tree?_

Out loud she said, "Then it seems we have nothing left to discuss."

"This is important. "

"I disagree." Nimue snapped, tendrils of water flashing forward towards him at her command.

Merlin flinched at her tone and stumbled away from the shore, suddenly looking like a drenched cat.

"I have entire villages mourning the loss of their sons and daughters, and now thanks to your ridiculous rivalry with Le Fay, I am now to expect more."

Merlin tried to wring out the water from his clothes. She willed it to remain.

He frowned at her accusingly.

"My amulet will choose a worthy champion to defeat her will put a stop to the kidnappings."

"The amulet you have yet to start constructing." The Lady of the Lake pointed out coldly, refusing to let Merlin talk his way out of it.

Merlin gave a frustrated sigh and said nothing.

Again silence lay before the two of them, thick and anxious.

Annoyed, she turned towards the Leven and breathed in deeply. A thought over his words pinged at the back of her consciousness. Nimue sighed and raised her head to blink at the moon, "You said the Amulet will choose."

"Yes."

"And your Champion... will they have a choice?"

"What?"

"Will. your. Champion. Have. a. Choice?" Nimue repeated slowly as if talking to a fool.

Flustered Merlin looked anywhere but her. " Whomever is chosen will be of the right-"

"-that's not what I asked."

He blushed again, his eyes flashing brightly beneath his prominent brows.

She looked back from him to the lake. "Hmmm."

"What?… what do you think?"

"I think I should prefer to ally myself with someone who makes no pretense of offering freewill. Morgana, perhaps. Where repression can be taken pure, and without the admixture of hypocrisy."

In other circumstances the squawk that wheezed out of Merlin's throat would have been funny. The lady of the lake could find nothing humorous in this situation, She gave a cold smile as Merlin gaped stupidly at her..

"My Lady…"

"You know, you were a terrible baby." She said suddenly struck with a memory.

He blinked confused.

She continued, "Always testing your powers, always failing miserably, always crying because of some future only you seemed to see. The fairies wanted to be rid of you."

Nimue laughed quietly and amended. "I wanted to get rid of you. But every time I tried you'd stop crying and you'd smile at me, and I never could."

At his confused stare, she continued, "This war between you and Morgana will last centuries you are aware?"

"Yes but…" Merlin stood straighter, quick to defend himself. "You know she... she has to be stopped. The things she's done… what she plans to do..."

"Just remember that in your attempts to stop her you don't become her."

He said nothing.

"You understand?"

"Yes."

"Make sure that you do. Don't make me regret..." She paused and stared at him,"...not following through."

"I will not," He promised solemnly. His eyes fixed pointedly away from her own, "Trust me."

"Trust is hard earned and gambled away easily, Emrys." She pinned him with a hard stare. "A war is coming so place your bets wisely, if you war comes to Avalon remember... Avalon is my domain and I shall protect it… even from you."


End file.
